Nigeria: 35,000 Reported Cases, 198 Deaths Recorded in Updated Borno Cholera Outbreak - MSF

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a Leadership report from Abuja, says Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that a cholera outbreak in Nigeria’s Borno State is worsening, with more than 35,500 suspected cases and 198 deaths reported by the state Ministry of Health as of July 12, 2026. MSF said the figures were drawn from treatment centres and communities between May and July, after the first suspected cases were recorded on May 1.

The report said the surge has strained health facilities in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno, where MSF is working with health authorities and humanitarian partners. MSF said it is supporting two cholera treatment centres, five treatment units and 17 oral rehydration points. The group reported treating more than 24,000 suspected patients since scaling up its response, with more than a quarter showing severe symptoms.

MSF linked the continuing spread to overcrowded informal settlements, unsafe water, poor sanitation, weak waste management and limited healthcare access. It has expanded community education, infection-prevention measures, health worker training and water chlorination at key collection sites. Health authorities, with MSF support, also carried out an oral cholera vaccination campaign in early July that reached more than 2.6 million people, according to the report.

Cholera is a bacterial illness usually spread through contaminated food or water and can cause rapid dehydration if untreated. Leadership reported that the outbreak has also reached neighbouring Plateau State, where the Ministry of Health listed 102 suspected cases by July 12. MSF urged stronger access to clean water, sanitation, surveillance, prompt treatment and wider vaccination to slow transmission.